Manchester City needed a big statement in their season for Pep Guardiola to consolidate his new ideas after conceding a last-minute equalizer against Arsenal, but the midweek victory in the EFL Cup and the 5-1 thrashing of Burnley at the Etihad Stadium were essential in giving the fans new confidence.
It is also worth noting that Maxime Estève was one of the key players in the Cizens' victory. The Burnley defender's first contribution came in the 12th minute, when he deflected the ball after an individual play by Doku. Still in the first half, the visitors managed to equalize, with Jaidon Anthony counting on a deflection of his shot off Rúben Dias to beat Donnarumma and make it 1-1, but this was an isolated reaction.
The tie lasted until shortly after 15 minutes into the second half, when Matheus Nunes took advantage of Haaland's attempt and scored on his first touch. Four minutes later, Estève missed the target again and extended City's lead. To seal the victory, in the last minute of regulation time, Haaland took advantage of Doku's cross to score his first goal of the afternoon, and in stoppage time, he carried the ball into the box to beat the goalkeeper and close out the rout.
Manchester City could reach three consecutive victories
With 10 points, City is currently fourth in the table and now turns its attention to the Champions League, facing Monaco away on Wednesday. Next Sunday, the Premier League challenge will be against Brentford, who beat Manchester United today and will arrive with enormous confidence against the Citizens. However, Pep Guardiola will have another great opportunity to consolidate his new ideas.
The result left Manchester City in sixth place with six games played and 10 points, while Liverpool are top of the Premier League with 15 points, a figure that has remained unchanged since their surprising defeat against Crystal Palace.